Learn about what Lithium Polymer batteries are and how they fall under the category of Lithium Ion batteries.

The MacBook and MacBook Pro computers come with Lithium polymer batteries. Lithium polymer is an implementation of the Lithium ion battery chemistry. Lithium polymer still uses lithium (Li) ions to shuttle energy during charge and discharge.

While the physical battery inside your MacBook or MacBook Pro may state on the underside of the battery that it is "Li-Ion", it is using the Lithium polymer implementation of this technology.

Our new user's guides will lead you through the basic steps to get you started fast. You’ll find links to the latest software downloads, installation instructions, helpful troubleshooting guides, and where to go to learn more.

iPod + iTunes

iPod	iPod shuffle	iPod Nano	iTunes

Macs

Mac Portables	Mac Pro and Mac Mini	iMac

Some Intel-based Macs do not support booting from software RAID volumes. If you try to start these Intel-based Macs up from a software RAID volume, the computer may start up to a flashing question mark.

The following computers do not support booting from software RAID volumes:

• MacBook
• MacBook Pro (not including MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo) models)
• iMac (Early 2006)
• Mac mini (Early 2006)

This document will be updated as more information becomes available.

Issue or symptom

The screen may dim before sleep on an Intel-based Mac's built-in display, even if the Energy Saver setting "Automatically reduce the brightness of the display before display sleep" is disabled. This setting may no longer be in effect after restarting the computer.

Products affected

• Mac OS X 10.4.4 through 10.4.11
• MacBook, MacBook Pro, or Intel-based Mac with built-in display

Solution

To temporarily stop the display from dimming before display sleep, enable the Energy Saver preferences setting "Automatically reduce the brightness of the display before display sleep," then disable it again.

You may

On Apple portables that include trackpad scrolling and are running Mac OS X 10.4.8, you can use the trackpad in addition to keyboard commands, to control screen zooming.

To zoom the image on the screen using the trackpad, hold down a modifier key and gesture with a forward finger motion on the trackpad. The reverse motion will zoom back out. (By default, the modifier key is the Control key—but this can be customized in the Keyboard & Mouse pane of System Preferences.)

Screen zooming is already set up on your Apple portable running Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later. It may

When using AirPort WiFi, MacBook Pro computers may experience a kernel panic intermittently. This kernel panic only occurs when the AirPort interface is turned on and joined to a wireless network.

The kernel panic log for this symptom will usually contain a line at the top of the panic such as the following:

"mbuf address out of range XXXX," where XXXX is a hexadecimal number, such as the following:
panic(cpu 1 caller 0x00351267): mbuf address out of range 0x13a0208

To resolve this situation, download and install Mac OS X 10.4.8. You can use the Software Update feature of System Preferences, or download

Issue or symptom

While running Microsoft Windows XP using Boot Camp Beta, the built-in display of your MacBook or MacBook Pro computer may remain on when the display lid is closed and an external display is connected.

Products affected

Solution

To disable the internal display while running Windows XP:

1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel.
2. Open Display settings.
3. Click the Settings tab, then Advanced, to bring up the ATI settings.
4. Click the Displays tab.

Does the cursor on your Mac notebook move while you're typing? Do you notice that sometimes the cursor arrow doesn't appear when you use the trackpad, or you touch the edge of the trackpad and the cursor doesn't move?

On MacBook and MacBook Pro computers, Mac OS X provides a feature that enables the trackpad to accept a "tap" as a mouse–click. Some users may find that if this feature is enabled while they type, their palms or thumbs may accidentally touch the trackpad, moving the cursor unexpectedly or creating a mouse–click in the wrong place. For more information, click

Issue or symptom

In Microsoft Windows XP, if the keyboard backlight of your MacBook or MacBook Pro computer is on, it may remain on even when the computer or display is in sleep mode while the computer is in low light conditions.

This issue does not affect Microsoft Windows Vista.

Products affected

• Boot Camp 2.0 (included with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard)
• Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
• MacBook, MacBook Pro

Solution

To disable the keyboard backlight while running Windows XP, press the F8 / Backlight Toggle key. The keyboard backlight will only come on if it is enabled and the computer is in low

When you use the restore option in Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.3 through 10.4.11, you have to drag the destination device into the destination field. If your Mac is started up from the install DVD that was included in the box with the computer, this drag-and-drop function may not be available, and you may not be able to use the restore process.

There are two possible workarounds to this issue:

• Start up from an external Firewire drive running Mac OS X and use Disk Utility while running off the Firewire drive.
• Start the Intel-based Mac up in Target

Symptom

QuickTime Player on Intel-based Macs can sometimes fail to play streaming video. When you try, the stream will appear to be connecting in QuickTime Player, but then it may pause and not begin playback.

Products affected

• iMac (Early 2006)
• Mac Mini (Early 2006)
• MacBook Pro
• MacBook

A "closed" (also known as "hidden") wireless network is one that does not show its name in a list of available wireless networks. To join it, you must choose "Other..." and type its name. A MacBook Pro may encounter issues joining a closed WPA Personal wireless network. You may see this message:

"There was an error joining the network '<network name>'."

Solution

Update to Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later.

Issue or symptom

If you use an external display rotated to 90 or 270 degrees and you enable video mirroring on that display, you may notice that Front Row doesn't present as expected. Instead, you see a black screen on the external display.

Products affected

• Front Row
• Mac OS X 10.4.7
• iMac (Early 2006)
• iMac (Mid 2006)
• iMac (Late 2006)
• MacBook Pro
• MacBook Pro (17-inch)
• MacBook

Solution

If you need to use Front Row with two displays, either use extended desktop mode or rotate your external display at either 0 or 180 degrees.

Click here for more information about the display rotation feature.

In addition to regular cleaning of your computer and input devices (keyboards, trackpads, and mice), you may find it necessary to disinfect them.

Multiple people using the same computer, people using the computer when they were ill, and the particular environment where the computer is used, are a few reasons you may wish to disinfect areas of the computer that people come into contact with the most.

In order to properly disinfect these areas, you should use Lysol Wipes, Clorox Disinfecting wipes, or Clorox Kitchen Disinfecting Wipes and follow the general rules below when disinfecting your Apple product:

Do's

• Be sure

Issue or symptom

After installing EFI Firmware Update 1.3 on a MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.2 or 2.4GHz), the internal video display may appear bluish in color, like a 'waterfall', or display other 'shimmering' video effects. This effect persists on the internal display through restarts and resolution changes.

Products affected

• MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.2 or 2.4GHz)

Solution

• Reset the PRAM/NVRAM on your MacBook Pro.
• See article 2238 for instructions on how to reset PRAM.

Issue or symptom

When hot-plugging an external display into your MacBook Pro, you may notice the external display occasionally stays dark, or the internal display of the MacBook Pro appears to flash or turn black.

Sometimes, when switching from an S-Video to a DVI connection, the internal display may appear black or display only the mouse cursor.

Products affected

• MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2GHz)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch 2.4GHz)

Solution

1. Wait 5 seconds for the screen to automatically re-size or activate.
2. If this doesn't occur after 5 seconds, click on Detect Displays in the Displays pane of

The Intel-based Macs make the transition from PowerPC hardware to Intel hardware as seamless as possible. There are some undeniable differences in the hardware, though, so you might find that your printer or other accessory worked fine on your older Mac but suddenly isn't working on your new Intel-based Mac. If that's the case, you want to check your device drivers.

Some background info:
In Mac OS X, drivers for some printers and other devices are implemented via kernel extensions. These drivers, in the form of kernel extensions, are generally supplied by the manufacturer of the device. Some generic device drivers

If you install Motion 2.1, part of Final Cut Studio 5.1, or other applications that use "split segment" non-system libraries on an Intel-based Mac, then Microsoft Office applications may fail to launch.

If this happens to you, just update pre-binding to resolve the issue. Follow these steps:

1. If you haven't already, log into the computer as a user who has an administrator account.
2. Navigate to the Utilities folder, inside the Applications folder.
3. Open Terminal.
4. Type: sudo update_prebinding -root / -force
5. Press Return.
6. When prompted for a password, enter your admin password, and press Return again.
   Note: Pre-binding will take a few minutes to

The MacBook Pro will run fine with either a single memory slot filled or with both memory slots filled with two unmatched memory sizes (such as a 512MB DIMM in one slot and a 1GB DIMM in the other).

However, if both slots are loaded with an equal amount of RAM (such as two 512MB DIMMs of the same type), you can take advantage of the system's dual-channel memory architecture for an additional performance boost. With a dual-channel memory interface, both banks of SDRAM can be addressed at the same time, enabling MacBook Pro to reach a memory throughput of up

Your MacBook Pro may not recognize your FireWire device properly—it doesn't appear in menus, it's not recognized or it doesn't behave properly.

If you find this to be the case, the device probably came with an external power supply, and is demanding more power that the FireWire standard provides through the bus. This issue can also appear if a number of FireWire devices are plugged in to the same bus and demand more power than the bus provides.

(Bus-powered devices derive their power from a source on the bus to which they are attached. Self-powered devices come with an AC

Got questions about the MacBook Pro, iMac G5 (iSight), iMac (Early 2006) or later? Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about this computer.

Is Photo Booth available for my other Macintosh computers?
Photo Booth is only available with the MacBook Pro, iMac G5 (iSight) or iMac (Early 2006) or later computers.

Can I get Front Row and an Apple Remote for my other Macintosh computers?
While you can use the Apple Remote with other Apple products, such as the iPod Universal Dock, Front Row is only available with the MacBook Pro, iMac G5 (iSight), and iMac (Early 2006) or later computers.

This

Issue or symptom

A NetBoot, Netinstall, or ASR image created in Mac OS X 10.4.10 or 10.4.11 (with asr or System Image Utility) may not be able to start ("boot") a MacBook Pro 2.2 or 2.4GHz or iMac (Mid 2007) computer, even if the image works with other Intel-based Macs.

Products affected

• MacBook Pro 2.2GHz, 2.4GHz
• iMac (Mid 2007)
• Mac OS X 10.4.10, 10.4.11
  

Solution

Mac OS X 10.4.x

To create a compatible NetBoot, Netinstall, or ASR image, create the image on a MacBook Pro 2.2 or 2.4GHz or iMac (Mid 2007) computer using the version and build of Mac OS X that shipped

Many of Apple's computers provide power over their FireWire ports even if the computer is off or asleep. This is normal and expected. This feature enables:

• FireWire-based iPods to continue to charge even if the computer is asleep or off
• FireWire bus-powered drives to be used as Startup Volumes
• Additional features that may require power when the computer is plugged in but not turned on

The computers that provide this feature include:

• Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
• iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor) and later models of iMac G5
• iMac (Early 2006) and later models of Intel-based iMac
• Mac mini (all models)
• PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz) and later models of PowerBook

Issue or symptom

When connected to the optical digital audio input, 32 kilohertz and 88.2 kHz audio input sample rates may not work on Mac Pro, MacBook, iMac (24-inch) or MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2GHz) computers. The audio may be corrupt or non-existent.

Products affected

• Mac Pro
• MacBook
• iMac (24-inch)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2GHz)

Solution

Be sure to use sample rates of

You can use the iSight's magnetic display mount to attach an iSight to an Apple display that has an anodized aluminum frame.

Do not place the magnetic mount near a CRT display, an iPod, any hard drive (internal or external), portable computer, or anything else that could be damaged by a magnet.

Issue or symptom

Some Intel-based Macs can become unresponsive while being used in FireWire target disk mode for long periods of time. The FireWire icon will stop moving, and the disk cannot be accessed from another Macintosh computer over FireWire.

Products affected

• Mac Book Pro 15-inch (Early 2006)
• iMac (Early 2006)

Solution

This behavior can be corrected with a firmware update to the computer that becomes unresponsive while in Target Disk Mode. Startup that computer into Mac OS X, then follow the instructions in this article.

Symptom

With an external display connected and rotated to 90° (degrees), the computer may become unresponsive when viewing certain multimedia content on the external display.

Products affected

• iMac (Early 2006)
• MacBook Pro
• MacBook Pro (17-inch)

Solution

Restart the computer to resolve the issue.

Update to Mac OS X 10.4.9 to prevent this issue.

Issue or symptom

Products affected

• MacBook Pro

Solution

Always verify that you have the correct DVD prior to using it for startup.

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2GHz) and MacBook Pro (17-inch 2.4GHz) notebooks have two SDRAM slots in the bottom of the computer.

If you want to maximize the amount of SDRAM in your computer, install a 2 GB SO-DIMM in one slot and a 2 GB SO-DIMM in the other. The computer supports up to 4GB of memory.

You can use Small-Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules (SO-DIMMS) that meet all of these criteria:

• PC2-5300
• unbuffered
• non-parity
• 200-pin
• 667 MHz
• DDR2 SDRAM

You can use RAM module sizes of 1 GB or 2 GB in the top or bottom slots.

DIMMs with any of the following features are not supported in the MacBook

Issue or symptom

The computer's audio and input source may go out of sync when a device is plugged in or removed from the line-out jack while monitoring the input source.

Products affected

• Intel-based Macintosh computers

Solution

Stop and restart the playback. If this doesn't work, close the application you are using and open it again, then start the playback again.

The USB ports on Macintosh computers provide 5 V and 500 mA for each port, regardless of whether the port is USB 1.1 or USB 2.0. This is in compliance with USB specifications.

If you have an accessory (also known as a peripheral) which is acting oddly, such as not turning on or not being recognized by the computer, the device may require more than 500 mA of power.

If you have a USB device, or a chain of devices (such as a joystick plugged into a keyboard) that requires more than the available power, use a self-powered USB hub or see

If you set your MacBook or MacBook Pro to start up at a specified, scheduled time using the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences, you will need to make sure your computer is connected to the AC power adapter at the time it is scheduled to start up. The computer will only start up on schedule when connected to AC power. If the schedule start up time occurs and no AC adapter is connected, the computer will start up automatically when the AC adapter is connected.

Issue or symptom

On MacBook Pro (2.4/2.2GHz) computers, the icons for video clips in iMovie sometimes appear dark in the Clips pane when they are recorded with the built-in iSight camera.

The first time you use your built-in iSight camera, the camera may need to calibrate itself. As a result, the first few frames recorded by the camera may appear dark.

Products affected

• MacBook Pro (2.4/2.2GHz)
• iMovie HD
• Mac OS X 10.4.9

Solution

If you

If you're trying to play shared music or a video selection from Front Row 1.2.1 but the music or video won't play, it may be because iTunes 6.0.4 has an open dialog box preventing it from playing.

To resolve this, exit Front Row by pressing the Menu button on the Apple Remote. Select iTunes with your mouse or trackpad and dismiss the dialog box.

Some key combinations that may work on standard keyboards may not be recognized on Apple's portable computers. This includes combinations containing more than four keys and some combinations of three keys across the home row (asdfghjkl;').

This is done to avoid an issue with modern keyboards called "phantom keys". Phantom keys occur when the controller reports a key to be down that is not really down. To avoid this, the controller will stop sending keycodes if key combinations are pressed simultaneously that can cause this condition—combinations like more than four keys or some combinations of three home-row keys.

If you require the

Issue or symptom

A MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz) computer may have display issues or shimmering, if it is restored using the DVDs that came with the computer.

Products affected

• MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz)

Solution